Unexpected Love
by Dinogirl28
Summary: After angering a Shaman, Kaa is turned into a man and decides to seek help from Mari. His original intentions to use Mari, start to change as they search for the Shaman to change him back into his former snake self. He learns more about Mari and wonders: Could this be love? Especially between these two unlikeliness individuals. Sucky summary. By the way: Don't like, don't read.
1. Chapter 1

No one knew about the shaman who lived in the jungle, she kept to herself and interfered on her own accord or for when she thought it was necessary. Kaa the snake was in her domain today, looking for food. He hadn't eaten anything for a couple of days and was very hungry. He slithered into an unknown part of the jungle that no animal would ever go to. The rumors were said that once you go there, you never come out alive. Kaa, didn't partially believe any of the rumors. Right now, he just cared about finding something to eat. His tongue caught the scent of a baby fawn that was roaming the area, and he was determined to find it.

An old woman stepped out of hi grotto. Heavy long dreadlocks with multi-colored beads hung down her cheeks and her animal skins hugged her lanky figure. She was the ancient shaman of the jungle. Not many knew of her exist, for she kept her presence hidden. She looked over the jungle and it's animals as if they were her own children. She turned and saw a fawn frolicking through the grass, stopping for a bite to eat. She smiled till she felt danger in the wind. It was then she saw Kaa, the snake, sneaking up on the fawn. She was angry. It was the law of the jungle to never interrupt one's hunting if they were just eating, but she could see the cold heartedness in the snake. He did not care as long as he got his meal, it didn't even matter to who or what it was. Even humans. The shaman smirked and waved her hand. Vines came loose from the treetops above and made their way down to the unsuspecting python. Just as Kaa was about to lunge forward with an open mouth, he found himself wrapped in vines and forcefully dragged away from his prey. The shaman stood tall as Kaa was dumped onto the jungle floor still in vines. His yellow eyes looked up and there he saw the shaman in all her glory.  
"Hunger is all there is to think about isn't it?" She said with a blank mask and emotionless voice.  
"It isss the law of the jungle-" he tried to smooth talk his way out,  
"To only eat for one's survival. I know the law, Kaa," The snake flinched in shock as he realized she knew him, "and I have seen you hunt for not just your hunger but also on the innocent. Going after young ones and even humans who did nothing."  
Kaa grew scared as he heard every little detail this woman was pointing out about him.  
"Because of how I have seen what you do, it is time for you to receive a lesson in humility."  
The shaman waved her arms and sparks of magic flew out from the tips of her fingers, levitating the snake and encasing him into a glowing yellow ball. Kaa felt himself hurt all over, as he felt his body change. Appendages forming and coming out from both sides near his head and his tail starting to split. He let out a scream of agony as he passed out on the jungle floor, seeing the shaman's satisfied smirk as he went out unconscious.

Kaa felt a pounding headache. Worse than when the girl-cub Mari had him go face first into a tree trunk when he missed lunging at her. He opened his eyes and let out a sigh of relief as he saw he was still in the jungle. He reached up with hand and started-wait…hand? Kaa turned his head and saw he indeed had a hand. His eyes widening he saw he had two legs and feet. He looked at the hand and turned to see he had arms! He was human! That shaman turned him into a human! He wasn't the great enormous python he was born as, but instead a human! And a man!  
"Ssshe turned me into a man!" Kaa said out loud, only to gasp as he heard his own voice. It was a bit different. The tone was deeper and not reptilian. Looking wildly around, he spotted a river and tried getting to his feet. Only to stagger and fall. He was used to slithering, not walking!  
"Oh, I sssupossse I'll have to walk." He said indignantly.  
Kaa slowly got up onto his new feet and tried putting one foot in front of the other. Wobbling like a toddler does, he made it to the river and saw his face. He let out a cry of shock and flopped backwards. Till he slowly went back to confirm what he saw. His face was lean and somewhat suave looking; he had dark brown hair that stopped a few inches past his ears. It was the same color the spots on his tail were. His skin was tan like the color of his body was. Complete with yellowish brown eyes. He was human.  
"Oh what am I gonna do?" Kaa panicked. No one would recognize him and if any of the inhabitants saw him as a man he would be attacked with no mercy. Kaa was on the verge of freaking out, till a sly smile appeared on his face. He remembered that the man-village was not too far from here and it happened to be the one Mari, the girl-cub, lived not too far from here.  
"Wonder how the girl-cub will react sssseeing me like thissss?" Kaa laughed at the thought of that spunky girl's face when she saw him like this. He could also use this to his advantage. No one would expect a man wandering through the man village. He could walk in there and grab her. Devious thoughts went through Kaa's mind at what he could do. However, she could also be useful with this 'new form' of his.  
"Maybe ssshe could even help me." He thought out loud.  
Wanting to get back to normal was the only thing he had on his mind right now. He had a girl to find for help.


	2. Chapter 2

Mari, now a woman of eighteen, was busy washing some clothes by the river. The chores were almost done and she wanted to just get it done. The colder seasons were coming in and this was a time when the village was at its busiest. She had helped her father repair the roof of the hut and working in the field, gathering produce for their family food stock. Mari finished wrenching a shirt of the water and put it back into the basket nearby. She heard a rustle from the brush near the jungle. She looked across the river. Nothing was there or moving. Shaking her head, she went back to her laundry basket. She was about to pick it up again till she heard someone chuckling and it was close by. Mari put down her basket and slipped her hand into the clean laundry. She pulled out a hunter's knife ready to use. She had gotten used to carrying it around. She held it high, ready to strike.  
"I can see you haven't lost that spirit." An amused voice broke the eerie silence.  
"Who's there?" Mari demanded as she held the knife close to her, receiving another chuckle.  
Mari heard more rustling and turned to see man stepping out of the brush, she held her knife high. He looked familiar but she couldn't place his face.  
"Ah, the girl-cub poised to look a dangerous wolf. Although you're not much of a cub anymore, nor dangerous. And I would know, especially all the times I've gotten you in my coils."  
Mari's eyes widened as she realized who she was looking at. It couldn't be. He was a snake, not a man and yet he was right in front of her.  
"Kaa!?"  
Kaa smiled slyly and Mari held her ground. Her eyes narrowing to slits as he started to walk closer.  
"Now, is that anyway to greet a fellow human?" He said teasingly.  
"Due to the fact you tried to eat me doesn't make us friends. Human or not." Mari snarked.  
"Too true." Kaa said as he leaned against the tree trunk. "However, as you can see, I am not what I used to be now so how can I really do anything to you at the moment?"  
Mari knew he had a point. Sighing she dropped her weapon, but kept it out. She didn't trust him to not try anything even if he was no longer a snake.  
"Dare I ask what happened to you?" She asked. Surprised to see the smile gone and was replaced with bitter annoyance.  
"I apparently angered a shaman who I did not know existed and for punishment she turned me into this." He said waving his arms at himself. Causing Mari to smirk,  
"The hunter became the hunted and got his butt handed to him. Fitting." Mari said with a smirk.  
Kaa thought had a frown on his face, "And you find this hilarious."  
"Yes, because after all the crap you did to me and all, I'd say it's time you got what you deserved." Mari said.  
"I was just hunting." Kaa said, sounding like whining teenager.  
"Yes, but it never mattered who you ate, just as long as you had someone." Mari said with a bit of anger coming back full force.  
"I sssupossse." Kaa said, sounding a bit upset, but it didn't faze Mari.  
Mari looked at him and knew that human or not, he couldn't survive in the jungle. Feeling her conscience kick in she sighed and said,  
"Alright, look here," Kaa looked at her, "Since you have no idea what humans do to survive and all, you can stay in my hut, but that's only until you are back to normal. Try anything and I'll give a real reason to be scared of a human, especially a woman. Got it?"  
Kaa looked at her shocked for a bit. He schooled his expression and gave her a wane smile as he said,  
"I assscept your terms."  
"Alright than, come along. I got this laundry to hang up to dry."  
Kaa shrugged and stepped out from behind the jungle brush. Mari's eyes widened and she shielded her eyes away.  
"What?" The man said amused and confused.  
"Did it ever occur to you to put some pants on?!" Mari practically shouted.  
It was than Kaa looked down and blushed as he realized he was not wearing any 'human undergarments'. As he called them.  
"Ok first things first, we need to get you some clothes." Mari said.

-

"How do you humans stand wearing these pieces of cloth?" Kaa whined from behind the screen.  
"Same way how you guys have your skin." Mari retorted, "You done?"  
"Yesss, I'm done." Kaa said.  
Mari watched as he came from behind the screen. Kaa wore no shirt, his hair wrapped in a red turban and brown pants with a piece of rope holding them up.  
"Ok, that'll do till we get some others to wear."  
"You wear more than this?" He asked, sounding actually curious.  
"We do. Wear something too much than it starts to stink and you can't wear it anymore."  
Kaa cocked his head to the side. He stepped out and followed Mari outside where she had her laundry basket out and was hanging her clothes over rope.  
"What are you doing?"  
"Laying the clothes to dry. We let them air out in the sun." Mari said as she took a bed sheet and draped it over the clothes line. "Now, since I gave you a place and clothes care to tell me who did this to you?" Mari said putting her hands on her hips.  
"I really do not know. I never knew there was a female human out there who could do magic like this."  
"But you said she was a shaman." Mari pointed out.  
"I did yesss," Mari shivered a bit, she hated his hissing. It was still creepy whether he was a snake or human, "But again, I never heard of her before."  
"Unless I know who she is, and where she is, I won't be able to find her."  
"I don't know where she is either; she just appeared out of nowhere. But she found me when I was in a part of the jungle that nobody goesss to."  
"Why's that?"  
"It's rumored to have many dangerous animals. It's an area that Shere Khan won't even go to."  
Mari snorted, "A place where even that tiger won't go to. Never thought I'd hear that."  
Kaa watched as Mari continued hanging the laundry. His eyes traveled down to where her hips were swinging back and forth. Almost in a hypnotic dance. He wished he still had his long tail so he could wrap her up.  
"Soon, I'll have you." He thought to himself and smirked briefly.  
"Girl!"

Both Mari and Kaa turned and saw a man coming to her. He was a man in his fifties. Wore a gray shirt, and black pants complete with a purple turban. His face had seen many days in the sun.  
"Buldaeo." Mari said.  
"What did you do girl? I know it was you." Completely ignoring that someone else was with you.  
"I don't know what you're talking about so how about you just tell me instead of spitting at my face." She said tartly.  
"Don't play innocent with me. You've been making trouble ever since you came to this village. You let out my catches again."  
Mari held her ground, she had dealt with this man before and he was not gonna rile her up. Kaa watched the interaction between Mari and this man.  
"One of these days girl. I'll show them who you really are and you'll wish you had never come here."  
"Whatever." Mari said, watching Buldaeo walking off in a huff.  
Mari sighed as she went back to the laundry, "Men."  
Kaa raised an eyebrow, "What wasss that about?"  
"Buldaeo. The village hunter."  
Kaa's eyes grew wide. "H-Hunter?"  
"Yeah, but don't worry, he's just a man who thinks he can kill whatever he wants cause he has the gun to do. I just ignore him."  
"He seemss to not like you. Why?"  
Mari sighs as she placed a shirt on the clothing line, "He thinks that I'm sort of witch and gets angry because I have a bit of a vendetta when it comes to his hunting. I've let loose some of his catches because I didn't want to see them hurt. He always pins it on me because of the fact that I lived in the jungle. Doesn't help that most of the village agrees with him too." She added that last sentence in a whisper  
Kaa was, dare he say it, shocked? He couldn't believe what he was hearing. He didn't know the girl-cub was dealing with this here in the man-village.  
"It seems there isss more to her than I thought." Kaa thought. "Which might work in my favor." He thought slyly.


	3. Chapter 3

Mari finished doing the laundry and brought Kaa inside for food.  
"I take it you're hungry?"  
"Very." Kaa said as he followed her.  
"We have fruit and bread or would you rather meat?"  
"Do you have meat?" Kaa asked hopefully. Eyeing her for moment. Mari turned and glared at him.  
"Don't even think about snake breath. If you want food you have to eat like a human. Otherwise you'll be dead very soon from any villager who decides to get curious." She said as she plopped the laundry basket on the ground. "I'll grab a chicken from the coop."  
"Better than nothing." Kaa said, resigned. At least he could eat some meat, even though it wasn't the girl. His eyes still wandering to her lean body.  
"I'll be right back." Mari grumbled as she went outside and grabbed an ax by the door.

-

Kaa sat patiently, looking around the hut as he waited for the girl-cub to come back with lunch. He had to admit, she was quite nice to talk to so far. When they weren't going at each other's throats. He saw the pottery wheel and some clay pots nearby. Not too far there were also a bow and arrow. He raised an eyebrow; Must be some kind of man's weapon, he murmured. He jumped as he heard her coming back into the room with the ax and a dead headless chicken in her hand.  
"Chicken's dead, now I just need to cook it."  
"No need. I'll eat it as it is." Kaa asked.  
Mari raised an eyebrow, "You want to eat it raw? If you don't cook meat than you get sick and get food poisoning and buddy, I am not going to deal with you puking your guts out all over my floor. I'm cooking it."  
Kaa scowled a bit as she placed it on a fire pit. Mari took noticed of how annoyed he looked when she started cutting it open.  
"What?"  
"I'm relying on you to provide me with food." He stated like he was a two year old.  
Mari rolled her eyes, "I can see you haven't lost that charming personality." She sneered.  
Kaa laughed a bit, sending a shiver down Mari's spine. No matter how many times he did that, it was still creepy to hear.  
"I still make you weary." He stated.  
"I'm not scared of you Kaa. Get that out of your thick skull already." Mari said, although she couldn't deny that he still put her on edge.  
Kaa kept his sly grin. He could tell that he still scared her and it did give him some sort of satisfaction. Kaa jumped as a plate of cooked was placed in front of him.  
"Eat up." Mari sat down, with a plate of fruit and bread for herself.  
Kaa watched as she peeled the skin off her mango. She took a bite and swallowed, watching the little bit of juice dribble off her chin. Shaking his head at the random thought, Kaa looked down at his cooked chicken and picked up a piece. He took a bite. Without second thought, he started shoveling it into his mouth. This was delicious! He had never had bird taste so good before!

The moon was shining. Mari laid out a mat on her bed with some blankets and a pillow.  
"You take my bed. I'll sleep in the hammock." She said, pulling back the blankets.  
Kaa watched her grab a pillow and blanket for herself and brought them to the hammock. Kaa hesitantly got into the bed nearby and pulled the 'blankets' over him. He had to admit, it was rather comfortable. He watched Mari put on a sleeping gown and slip into the hammock. Not before bringing a knife with her bed. Kaa couldn't help but laugh a bit,  
"You carry that everywhere don't you." He stated.  
Mari frowned as she kept it next to her. "Can't be too careful."  
Kaa smirked, "Especially ssssince I'm here in your home. And yet you allowed me in."  
"You had nowhere to go and you'd be dead in the state you are now." Mari said as if it was obvious.  
"Is that the only reason?" Kaa said, tempted to just grab her and drag her back to the jungle with him.  
Mari rounded onto him with knife and brought it right next to his eye.  
"Try anything and I'll-"  
"You'll what?" Kaa said, his eyes twinkeling and his sly grin getting wider.  
Mari answered his question by grabbing his arm, twisting it, making him yelp and then throwing him off the bed and onto the floor. Kaa landed with a groan, not expecting the attack.  
"That, but a lot worse." She snarled.  
Mari stepped over him and kept the knife clutched in her hands. She went into the hammock and pulled the blanket over her. Kaa watched her as he got up to his feet. He had to admit, she was a formidable opponent when pushed. All the times he tried coiling her proved that. She was hard to get and was resistant to his hypnosis which could charm anyone in seconds. Kaa went back to lying on the bed. He couldn't help but watch as Mari shifted. A beam of moonlight reflect against her face and hair. Kaa felt his eyes widened and his heart starting to beat faster. Shaking his head, he tried going to sleep.

-

Kaa crinkled his nose and woke up to a new smell wafting in the air. It was like the smell of the cooked chicken, but it was different somehow. Curiosity getting the better of him, he got up and followed his nose. He groaned though as he felt the bruises from hitting the floor last night. He didn't expect it to hurt like this. He turned a corner and saw Mari making something over the fire pit like yesterday. He tried to be quite but tripped over his feet and went crashing, startling Mari.  
"Clumsy this morning aren't we?"  
"I was born with a tail not two legs like you." He said as he tried to get up.  
Mari got up and helped him up. Kaa felt his skin tingle as she helped him up. It wasn't like the sensation he got though when he was able to catch her, it felt more…friendly? Her skin was smooth and soft. Like it was always was. He remembered those moments where he kept her in his coils a little longer to savor the feeling. He felt his face heat up, realizing what he was doing,. Mari pulled him out of his thoughts,. "I cooked another chicken for you."  
Kaa saw, there was another chicken there on the table. Like yesterday, he ate the whole thing, but got curious at what Mari was eating as she sat down.  
"What is that?" He asked.  
"It's bread. Made from wheat and water."  
Kaa watched as she took a bite and heard the crispy sound of the bread. He went back to eating his chicken, but he couldn't help but keep his eyes on her. But, it wasn't like when he looked at her in hunger as a snake, it felt more, dare he say it, emotional? It was like that all through breakfast. What was going on him?


	4. Chapter 4

"Ok. I got water. Some fruit and a knife and whatever else we will need." Mari said as she packed a bag for him and her.  
"Will that be enough for us?"  
"It should be till we find this shaman. And so I can get on with my life and you with yours."  
Kaa felt his heart pang a bit at the tone. But he couldn't understand why. He followed suit as Mari grabbed her bag and flung it over her shoulder. Nobody was up yet at the village besides a few other early-risers who were going out to work with their livestock in the fields nearby. Mari led Kaa outside and to the river that separated the village from the jungle. Once they crossed, Mari had Kaa lead her into the jungle.

Kaa pushed back some bushes with his hands. Mari grumbled a bit how she was willingly following him. Kaa didn't hesitate to tease her on that and she retaliated that if he tried anything he would be in for a world of hurt. Kaa quickly agreed, since he had a reminder of how strong she really was on his back and thigh. They were making their way through the swamp, the foggy air all around them.  
"How far did you say you went when you were tracking the fawn?" Mari asked as she slouched through the brush.  
"We are still a bit a ways. Could be by the next day."  
"Wonderful." Mari grumbled. She grabbed a vine, only once she put her weight on it, she twisted her ankle, spun around and hit her head and went tumbling into the water. Kaa turned around and saw she wasn't there,  
"Girl-cub?"  
He looked around, but no answer,  
"Girl-cub?"  
He saw bubbles from the river rising up and felt panic grab him when he saw the broken vine hanging over the river and realized what happened. He dumped the bags off his shoulder and dived into the water. Even though he was human, Kaa moved his body through the water like a snake and went for her. He pulled her into his arms and brought them to the surface. Kaa pulled her out of the water and placed her on the muddy banks. He saw the small blow to her forehead. It was bleeding. Kaa took the end of his vest and wiped the blood away.  
"Mari?" Calling her name for the first time.  
He started to wrap his arms around her like he would with his tail and started squeezing her. Hoping it might wake her up. Her eyes popped open and she coughed up the water all over him. Kaa placed her down on the ground, watching her. She looked at him before giving him a heartfelt,  
"Thank you." And then she closed her eyes again.  
Kaa felt his face warm up at the sincerity in her voice and felt himself smiling warmly. He realized what he was doing and started to shake his head. There he went again, going off on a tangent. He went back to looking at Mari, the darkness of her hair, her face…  
"Gah!" He scolded himself by smacking his head upright. "What is wrong with me?" Not realizing he didn't hiss that time.  
"What am I doing? She's still gonna be my meal when this is over." He insisted to himself.

Mari started to groan and Kaa jumped as she pulled herself up.  
"Ugh, feel like I just went into a stampede of Haiti's elephants."  
Kaa chuckled, "That's what happens when you get hit on the head."  
Mari groaned as she got up, not in the mood for witty banter. Kaa frowned at her lack of banter. Mari got up and cracked her back. She wiped her brow and turned towards him.  
"Ready to keep going?"  
"Been waiting for you to awaken." He answered.  
Mari pulled up her soaking bag and threw it over her shoulder.  
"Let's go."  
Kaa picked up his bag and followed her as he went to take back up the lead, bumping purposely into her side.  
"Hey!"  
"Sorry." He said with a smirk.  
"Sure you are." Mari said sarcastically, making the snake-human laugh as they went back on the trail. Mari though got a smirk on his face just as sly as Kaa's as they were walking next to the river and rammed herself right into Kaa, making him go head first into the water. Mari fell to the ground laughing as Kaa popped out of the water, looking irritated.  
"Oh I'm sorry." Mari said.  
Kaa glowered at her, "You made a big mistake."  
"Ohh I'm so scared." Mari said, shaking her hands in fake fright.  
Kaa acted and grabbed her by the ankle, pulling her into the water. Mari yelped as she landed. When she came up she had got face half covered in muck and a piece of grass from below stuck in her hair. Kaa couldn't help but laugh at the face. Mari pouted, till she wiped some mud off her face and threw it at Kaa, making him knock back into the river from the sudden action. Kaa came up with a glare, but Mari was playfully smirking, gesturing with her hands, 'bring it on.' Kaa smirked and grabbed some muck from below his feet and threw it at Mari. And so began a playful water fight between Mari and Kaa. Instead of going at each other's throats, Kaa and Mari were having being together. Their laughter filling the air.

It late in the day, the sun was setting, making the sky filled with shades of pink, yellow, red, and orange as the moon started to go up. Mari and Kaa were back to walking after their little playing session in the river. Kaa had to admit, he had a lot of fun with her. It was nice to just have fun for a bit, even if it was with her. Kaa started to find himself getting confused why his actions were changing around her. He was losing his desire to try and eat her and instead, just enjoyed getting to know her. Mari and Kaa stopped at a small spot underneath some banana trees.  
"We can make camp here tonight and maybe be over to the shaman's by tomorrow or the day after. Depending upon how fast we go." She said as she unpacked her bag of provisions.  
"I agree." Kaa said as he started taking out items from his own bag. His eyes kept drifting to Mari, but he firmly kept reminding himself that there was no reason to act like this. He was going to be back to normal and the two would go back to hating each other. Simple as that. He watched as Mari laid out a firm hard mat and placed it on the ground and then rummaged through her backpack. Kaa watched her take out long black sticks and started putting them into certain angles as she also pulled out a blanket and started to thrust the sticks into it.  
"What are you doing?" Kaa asked.  
"Pitching a tent."  
"Tent?"  
"Yes, humans use this when we are out traveling on the road. The tent acts as a shelter when they have to sleep somewhere overnight. Also keeping you safe from rain, heat and wind."  
"Interesting, like your own cave you carry with you." Kaa said.  
""That's exactly it. Now that this is all done, time to find some dinner."  
"I thought we brought food with us?"  
"I did, but it would also be good to find something instead of always relying on what we have. We don't know how long it's gonna take to find the shaman and it's better to use them only as a last resort."  
Mari saw a nearby branch on the tree next to her. She leapt up and tugged on it hard, making it break from the trunk. She grabbed a rock and started to sharpen one end of the stick.  
"This will help catching fish. I'll be at the river." She said as she started to walk off.  
Kaa dropped what he was doing and followed her.

Once Mari had caught four fish, she had them cooking over a blazing fire. Mari showed Kaa how to gut a fish and he soon started helping her not just gut but also cook and he found himself liking it. By the time the fish was done, Kaa was inhaling it and moving onto the last one on his leaf plate. Mari ate a slower pace, but laughing a bit at how Kaa's appetite hadn't changed as he tried eating it whole. By the time the moon had risen, the fire was out and both humans were in their tents. Kaa, on the other hand was not sleeping, his mind was plagued with what happened today. He was feeling different around Mari, shaking his head at why he started calling her by her first name. They romped around in the river, teased one another in a non- coiling kind of way and afterwards he actually, dare he say it, liked it when she showed him how to gut a fish and then cooking it. He smiled, remembering how good the cooked fish was, just like the chicken from yesterday. Kaa frowned as he put a hand to his head, he didn't feel warm or anything. He sighed,  
"Why am I feeling like this with her?"  
The last thought he had before he drifted off to sleep.


	5. Chapter 5

Mari woke up and poked her head out of her tent. She heard slight snoring and saw Kaa still sleeping. His hair plastered against his face and his mouth slightly open as snores came out. Mari frowned as she felt her stomach starting to feel weird and her heart began pounding. Shaking her head she set off to go get some breakfast and firewood. She gathered enough sticks and dry grass and headed back to the campsite, she would dump this and go look for food for both her and Kaa. She stopped as she thought. 'Her and Kaa?' Where that come from? Mari felt her face starting to heat up as she thought about it. He was not bad-looking as he is now, and he hadn't tried to do anything…maybe he had changed?  
"Get a grip Mari, Kaa hasn't changed. He's just tolerating your help. Once he goes back to being a snake, he'll just try and eat you again." She said in a sad tone.

Kaa woke up to the sound of frying food and fire cackling. His nose caught the scent of fried fish and coconut milk. He opened his eyes and saw Mari poking the fish before she flipped it over. The sun light caught her hair and it glittered beautifully, making his heart pound at how beauty she looked right there. Kaa didn't reprimand himself this time, he couldn't. She was so beautiful. As she turned, Kaa collected himself as she noticed he was awake.  
"Morning. How do you like your fish?"  
"Doesn't matter." He said as he got up, cracking his back, Mari winced as she heard a pop.  
"Bad back?"  
"Always. And I still have one whether I'm a snake or a human."  
Mari winced again as he came and sat across from her. Mari got one of the fishes out and placed it on a leaf for Kaa and handed it to him,  
"That's hot, so you might want to let it cool first." Mari warned.  
Kaa nodded as Mari put her own fish on a leaf. As she put it off to the side, she grabbed a coconut shell and drank the milk inside. After she was done she turned to him,  
"Where do you think we are now?"  
Kaa just looked at her, till he stuttered and said,  
"I think we might be halfway there. We need to keep heading that way." He pointed off to the trail that went further down the river.  
"Alright than." Mari started to eat her fish,  
"Mari, I want to say something."  
Mari paused looking at Kaa who looked a bit sheepish and anxious at the same time.  
"What?"  
Kaa looked at her in the eyes and Mari saw so many emotions she didn't think was possibly. Sadness, regret, and even shame.  
"I'm sorry for how I acted that one night when you invited me to stay with you at the village. It was wrong of me especially when you just did it despite our past."  
Mari was in shock. Kaa? He was apologizing to her? This wasn't like him at all, and yet Mari didn't see anything wrong with it at all. She smiled slightly as she him bow his head thinking she didn't forgive him and said,  
"I accept."  
Kaa looked up startled. "You do?" Completely shocked.  
Mari nodded her head, "But why?" Kaa asked.  
"Because I could tell you weren't lying this time. You were being truthful."  
Kaa just looked at Mari in shock. She forgave him? She accepted it? Mari escaped the awkwardness as she finished eating and got up,  
"Better eat up, we still got a bit of ways to go if you want to find the shaman and get back to normal."  
she said, not realizing that the shaman was hearing and seeing everything.

From up above the mango trees, the Shaman stayed hidden in the leafy part of the canopy. She watched as the former python had apologized for his actions since he went searching for her at the village. She had almost lost hope as she watched how he acted with her in the beginning, but slowly she saw a spark emerged from the cold snake and saw that his heart was starting to change. He was falling for the young girl he had tried to grab all those years ago. She smiled as she watched Kaa look at Mari from down below.  
"You will find the happiness you have desired for a long time."  
She whispered on the wind as she disappeared from sight.

Kaa and Mari trudged through the jungle, they were out of the swamp and now heading next to the thicket. Kaa kept his eyes on the trail but his mind wasn't into it as much, it was the young woman behind him. Mari laughed as a couple of butterflies spooked her nearby and Kaa tensed hearing her delighted laugh all while having a small smile on his face. Her laugh was like music floating on the wind. How he wanted to hear that sound more often. He heard Mari coming up behind him and walking beside him,  
"So, know where we are going?"  
"We should be not too far from the thicket which I cut through when I found the fawn."  
"Ok." Mari said as she trudged forward. She started singing a small tune and Kaa just stared at her as she swayed her hips as she went in front of him. He had never heard her sing before and it made him enticed. This was nothing like when he was hypnotic with getting his prey, this was something pure…beautiful. Just as Mari was a few feet in front of him, there was a chattering of a monkey and then Mari was snatched off the trail.  
"Mari!" Kaa shouted surprised and then saw the young girl carried into the trees by her arm.  
The monkey laughed as she was thrown to another monkey who caught her by her foot and continued to swing her around. Mari was disoriented till she managed to kick one monkey in the face and land onto a branch like a panther which caught Kaa off guard.  
"Keep your hands off me fleabags!" She yelled at the monkeys who started surrounding her. They all laughed as they tried to get closer to her, jumping and chitterling in anticipation. Kaa, still on the ground, felt himself getting annoyed and dare he say, protective? He dropped his bags and yelled at the monkeys,  
"You heard her. Leave her alone."  
The monkeys just looked at him and grinned evilly as they focused on a new target. Kaa, started to get worried as he realized that he didn't have the power as he did as a snake and was now just a man. That left him at a disadvantage to the monkeys now. Mari watched as the monkey's swarmed Kaa and felt her heart beat faster in fear. Fear for what these scatter-brained apes could do to him.

Kaa moved away, his eyes darting everywhere. He spied a small broken branch nearby and picked up, holding it up in defense. The monkeys laughed as they started to come closer and some started throwing fruit. Kaa got hit a couple of times but swung the bat and managed to bat some fruit away. He got blind-sighted in the eye by a mango and fell to the ground. Groaning, he gripped his head and covered his eye and saw the monkeys were coming on the ground.  
"What makes you think chump you can tell us what to do?" One of them said.  
"Yeah, Louie wants her and what the king wants, he gets." Another monkey says.  
"I ain't going anywhere." Mari's voice rang out before she swung on a vine and knocked over the monkey, sending him into brush. Kaa looked up and watched her let go of the vine, tuck her legs in and landed daintily on the ground. She was breathing heavily,  
"Man, that was annoying." She said, clearly agitated.  
"Why you little-" One of the monkeys came over trying to grab her, but Mari ducked, grabbed it by his wrist and threw it over her shoulder. Kaa barely missed being hit by said flying monkey as he landed in a heap behind him.  
Mari cartwheeled over and started punching and kicking all the monkeys who came to grab her. She managed to head butt one and right when one grabbed her from up above, she swung herself up and managed a small kick to the head and it let her go. Mari landed on the ground and let out a loud wolf-like growl that said, "Get outta here." It worked because all the monkeys scattered and went off into the trees, not wanting to deal with the angry girl. Mari turned to Kaa and helped him up as he continued to stare at her in shock and admiration. She blushed, realizing he was looking at her and stuttered,  
"Shall we?" And she started walking.  
Kaa looked at her and said, "Wait a minute." Before he ran up to catch up with her.

Mari felt her face a full blown red. Why was she acting like this around Kaa? What was with the look he gave her back there? Why did it make her all nervous? And not in a cautious but more of a crush way? Mari was pulled from her thoughts as Kaa came running up to her,  
"hold on a moment, where did that come from?" He asked stepping in front of her.  
"What?" She asked.  
"That. What you did back there. What was that?"  
"A fighting technique I learned from being in the village."  
"Well," He said, looking flushed at her, "That was very, amazing." He finished and saw Mari blush.  
"Thanks."  
Both looked at each other for a moment till they looked away. Flushed faces as they kept walking forward, but both humans had small smiles on their faces as they went on the trail.

Kaa and Mari made it to the thicket a few minutes later and stopped at the nearby river to fill their canteens. Mari watched as Kaa filled his canteen. Her thoughts going at warp speed, trying to understand what was going with him and herself.

Mari:  
There's something sweet and almost kind  
But he was mean and he was coarse and unrefined  
And now he's dear and so unsure  
I wonder why I didn't see it there before

Mari watched as Kaa drank and then started looking her way. Mari smiled a bit and started to fill her water canteen up.

Kaa:  
She glanced this way, I thought I saw  
And when we touched she didn't shudder at my hand  
No it can't be, I'll just ignore  
But then she's never looked at me that way before

Kaa watched as she ducked her head and went behind a tree. He couldn't help but sigh sadly. He thought he had scared her off. How could she possibly like him after everything he did to her? Not noticing Mari was watching him from the tree, wondering what was going with her.

Mari:  
New and a bit alarming  
Who'd have ever thought that this could be?  
True that he's no Prince Charming  
But there's something in him that I simply didn't see

Mari completed her thoughts on Kaa and his actions and found herself starting to like him more and more now. She looked back at him and she smiled as he didn't notice her behind him. Smirking she went behind and pushed him into the lake. Kaa, looked at her shocked, till he saw her laughing and gave him playful s mile. Kaa himself smirked and pulled her in and soon the two were splashing each other with water. Not noticing that four familiar vultures were watching the two in fascination from the tree tops.

Flaps:  
Well, who'd have thought?

Dizzy:  
Well, bless my soul

Buzzie:  
Well, who'd have known?

Ziggy:  
Well, who indeed?

Flaps:  
And who'd have guessed they'd come together on their own?

Dizzy:  
It's so peculiar.

All Four:  
We'll wait and see  
A few days more  
There may be something there that wasn't there before.

The vultures watched both the young woman and the snake turned human were getting along with each other more and it seemed like it was growing into something more. Again, they would have to wait and see.


	6. Chapter 6

After the water play, Mari and Kaa were back on the road, but they were interacting with each other a bit more. Kaa saw Mari both walked side by side and kept their eyes open for anything, after their run-in with King Louie's cronies.  
"And that's what happened after Baloo and Bagheera got me out of Monkey City." Mari finished, telling Kaa her first meeting with King Louie.  
"That old ape hasn't changed a bit. He always talked about wanting to be a man, before that he was also a party animal just like Baloo." Kaa chuckled at the story of his former friend.  
"Baloo, I can understand, but Louie was always that fanatic with getting fire?" She asked.  
"Always, when he decided he wanted to be a man he thought the only way to do so was to get Man's Red Flower: fire."  
"Not exactly something to be careless about." Mari said. Remembering her first experience with fire.  
She was stepping over a broken log, but side stepped and was about to fall, but Kaa reacted and caught her, causing both of them to stare at one another. Mari stilled for a moment till she hesitantly looked away and got herself back onto her feet. It stunned Kaa, but what got him surprised was how beautiful her eyes truly were once he got a good look at them. Mari felt a smile creep up on her face. Was she falling in love with Kaa? She felt her smile grow warm. She had to admit, she liked Kaa the more she was around him right now, but she hadn't expected to feel like this. And yet, it actually felt nice. But…did he like her in that sense too? 'Probably not'. She thought sadly, 'Don't dwell on it Mari, it won't ever happen.'  
Kaa was thinking the same thing. He felt his once cold heart starting to be filled with emotion he didn't think was possible. He was falling for Mari! A smile came up on his face. Yes, he did love her. He never thought he would ever find a mate in his life, but with this young woman who he once tried to eat as a child was slowly worming into his heart. And he liked it, but he was wondering, did she love him too?  
It was late afternoon as the two stopped by a clearing of banana trees. Mari shocked Kaa by using a nearby vine where she made a loop and twirled it around her head and threw it up, closing in on the bundle that connected itself to the tree and bringing it down where she caught it. Kaa tried the banana and found out he liked it. Mari had filled up her canteen again and tied to her pack.  
"How far are we now?" Mari asked Kaa.  
"We, uh, shouldn't be that far now, I think." He said, not prepared for the question.  
Mari sighed as she rubbed her foot. She had stepped on too many rocks on the trail and it was hurting her foot. Kaa looked as she kept rubbing them.  
"You ok?"  
"I'm fine Kaa, I just, stepped on too many rocks on the way. The trail was filled with them."  
"Yes." He said as he looked at her. Both of them were cut off as two loud roars broke the silence.

Bagheera and Baloo came out of the brush. Bagheera launched himself from his hiding place and put himself between Mari and Kaa. Kaa fell off his spot on shock as Bagheera came at him with baring his teeth. Baloo came out and grabbed Mari pulling her away. She struggled in her friends arms.  
"Bagheera!" Mari said.  
"Mari, run now."  
"Bagheera, its fine." She tried reasoning with him while still being held by Baloo.  
"Baloo, get her out of here." Bagheera said to the bear.  
"Bagheera, I haven't done anything." Kaa pleaded trying to not panic at the sight of his old friend. Baloo tried to walk away with Mari, but she threw herself hard against Baloo's gut and he let her go. Mari ran and jumped in front of her father figure.  
"Bagheera, back off, Kaa hasn't done anything." Mari said.  
"Mari, have you lost your senses? Or do you not remember what he tried to do the last time?" Bagheera argued with her.  
"I know, but it's not like that ok. Let him explain. He came to me for help." Mari said.  
"She's telling the truth. I did go to her for help." Kaa said as he got up to his feet, "I picked up scent of a fawn going through a secluded area of the jungle and accidently angered a shaman that lived there and she turned me into a human. Mari allowed me to live with her at the village for a night and has been helping me get back so I can turn back. Bagheera, I haven't done anything to her." Kaa pleaded.  
Both Bagheera and Baloo looked at Kaa, than at Mari who nodded her head. Bagheera sighed and stepped back, sheathing back in his claws.  
"Very well. I can see you're telling the truth Kaa, but understand this, we catch you doing anything and you will have us to deal with." Bagheera said the last few words with a growl and Baloo glared at him, making the man grimace and said,  
"Crystal."  
Mari stepped away from between them and said,  
"Well since you guys have decided to join the party. Maybe you can tell us if we are heading in the right direction."  
"Where are you heading anyways?" Bagheera said.  
"I ran into the shaman over by the swamp areas of the jungle." Kaa said.  
"Thinking of your stomach instead of your safety this time?" Baloo said sarcastically, making Mari glare a bit at him.  
"At the time, yes." Kaa said with a guilty look, "I wasn't really thinking at the moment. I hadn't eaten in a bit and all was on my mind was acquiring food."  
"How surprising." Bagheera said sarcastically.  
"Ok, end of story moving on. Are we heading to the right place or not?" Mari glaring at the trio who were taken back by the tone of her voice.  
"You are, but you won't get there till tomorrow the least." Bagheera said.  
"Ok, well we better hit the trail than." Mari said, picking up her stuff and getting ready to walk. Handing Kaa his pack.  
"We're coming to." Bagheera said, looking at Kaa that said 'We're watching you'  
Mari rolled her eyes at their protectiveness and all four were off.

By nighttime, Mari, Kaa, Baloo, and Bagheera managed to cover about a mile and a half before the sun descended and the moon was shining bright. Mari made a fire and caught a nice helping of trout for herself, Kaa and Bagheera while Baloo munched on the nearby fruit trees. Bagheera and Baloo kept looking at Kaa and how he and Mari interacted. They were shocked as they saw the two of them getting along, Kaa didn't attempt to do anything of his wily ways, in fact it seemed like he really had changed. Was that even possible? The two silently agreed with each other that once Mari was sleep they were going to have a talk with Kaa.

After the fire was put out and Mari had settled into her tent, Bagheera and Baloo had walked over to Kaa,  
"Yes?" He asked.  
"We need to talk, over there." Bagheera stated, indicating to the grove nearby. Kaa followed his former friends.  
"What do you wish to talk about?" Kaa asked.  
"About you and Mari." Baloo stated.  
They both stared at him while Kaa looked a bit sad for a moment. He collected himself and said,  
"I have not done anything to her. How can I when I'm like this now?" Gesturing to his human-state.  
"Maybe for now, but if we find that shaman you will be back as a snake." Bagheera said, he was confused as he saw Kaa getting solemn as he said this. This was not the wily python he remembered seeing.  
"I know, however, I don't even know if we will find her. She appeared out of nowhere when she got me. What's to say she even has a place out there?" Kaa said.  
"You found your way in, you can do it again." Baloo said pointedly.  
Kaa just ran his hands through his hair in frustration. "I don't know where she is. Why don't you believe me?"  
"You're really asking us that question Kaa?" Bagheera said as he eyed the man looking for anything that said he was still the same sly snake he used to be.  
"Look, I know what I did was wrong and after I've spent some time as a human and being around Mari, I realized what I did was wrong. If I do go back to being as a snake I wouldn't go back to what I used to be."  
"That remains yet to be seen." Bagheera said as he trotted around.  
Kaa looked at his friends and wished that they did believe him,. Back when he was a snake he wouldn't have cared unless they actually got threatening with him, but now, now he wished that they forgive him and give him a second chance, just like Mari had done. Mari. He looked back at Mari with longing eyes and wished he could tell her of his new feelings for her. He had grown to love this woman and changed him for the better. Bagheera and Baloo looked at him in confusion as they saw him look at their girl-cub. He turned to them sadly and said,  
"You can believe what you want right now, but I know that I am not who I used to be," He said as he started to grab a high tree branch and began to climb, but he looked back at Baloo and Bagheera, "and Mari showed me that. More than you can imagine." Kaa climbed up the tree, distancing himself away from the others.

Bagheera and Baloo both seemed a bit shocked at the emotion they heard coming from Kaa, when they saw him look at Mari, his eyes were filled with sadness, longing…for Mari? Bagheera had to admit, he was confused by Kaa's new actions. This was so unlike him, even Baloo mentioned it as they joined them.  
"Do you think he was telling the truth Baggie?" Baloo asked.  
"I don't know Baloo. You know how Kaa is."  
"Yeah but the way how he was actin' around lil' britches…you can't say that he hasn't changed." Baloo said as he got himself ready in a bed of leaves for sleep.  
"I know. I still don't trust him though. We don't know if he's still tricking us yet."  
"Baggie, I think you're over thinking this. I didn't believe it first but the more this day has gone by, the more I see it in him. He's changed." Baloo said.  
"We'll figure it out tomorrow Baloo. Good night." Bagheera said as he stretched himself out on the ground near Mari's tent.  
"Night Baggie." Baloo closed his eyes and was out.

Kaa watched everything from down below. He was surprised that Baloo agreed on the fact that he was not who he used to be, but Bagheera wasn't convinced. He should've expected it though. Bagheera was always stubborn. Kaa looked out at the night sky thinking about his new feelings for Mari and what this meant. He was in love with her. Deeply in love with her, and it broke his heart that he hadn't told her yet and the fact his friends did not like it when it he was around her. True he did try to eat her when he was a python, the past between didn't exactly help. Kaa sighed and looked up to the stars,  
"If I can get a chance, one chance to tell her the truth, please let me do it. I just…need to tell her."  
Kaa dropped his head between his legs, not realizing that shaman who was perched above him in the tree higher up had heard him.  
"You will get that chance, and when it happens you must see the choice you wish to make for your further."  
A gentle breeze went by Kaa, startling him, looking up, but saw no one.


	7. Chapter 7

The sun rose up and its rays fell down on the sleeping humans and animals. Mari was the first to wake up, feeling the sun on her face. She opened her eyes and saw Bagheera and Baloo still sleeping. She furrowed her eyebrows as she didn't see Kaa in sight. Where was he? She than looked up and smiled as she saw him in the trees. His legs dangling and his back propped up against the tree trunk. Mari felt her smile vanish as she realized that today might be the last day she would see Kaa like this again. They were close to finding the shaman. When she first saw him like this, she thought she would be happy when it would be over, but now…now she wished it wasn't happening. Mari got out of her tent and made her way to the nearby stream.

Bagheera opened his eye and saw Mari walking by him. She got down on her knees and splashed the water on her face. The panther watched as her eyes traveled to Kaa resting in the tree. Bagheera furrowed his eyebrows as he saw her sigh sadly and went back to washing herself. Had she fallen for Kaa? Bagheera watched as she sadly went back to her tent and pulled out a sharpened stick and went for the fruit trees nearby. Bagheera saw neither Kaa or Baloo were up and stretched himself out and meandered over to her.  
"Mari." Bagheera called from behind as she was getting ready to throw the spear.  
"Hi Bagheera." Mari steadied her arm and threw the spear at the vine holding a strong of berries. She caught them and gently placed them on a nearby rock.  
"We need to talk." Bagheera said.  
"About what?" Mari picked up her spear.  
"About Kaa."  
Mari stopped what she was doing and felt her heart grow heavy. She should have expected this again, knowing Bagheera.  
"What about him?" Mari asked.  
"Mari, you do realize that once Kaa is turned back into a snake, it will all be over. His feelings will go back to what they were toward you."  
"You don't know that." Mari said.  
"Mari," Bagheera sighed seeing her getting worked up, "animals like Kaa don't change that quickly. I'm just preparing you for what will happen next."  
Mari grunted as she threw her spear again getting another string of berries. She caught them and placed them with the others.  
"Bagheera, I know what I've been seeing these past few days ok? He has changed. He even apologized to me about his actions."  
"Impossible." Bagheera shaking his head at the thought of Kaa actually apologizing, "For all you know he could've just tried to gte on your side Mari."  
"Stop it!" Mari snapped at her father figure, tears forming in her eyes, "Why are you doing this Bagheera?"  
"Mari." Bagheera was shocked as he saw his charge actually shedding tears in front of him, and about Kaa?  
"Mari-"  
"Why can't you see that maybe he actually has a heart?" she practically wailed.  
"Because I know who he is and Kaa is not going to change at the drop of a leaf."  
"Some do." She protested.  
"Mari, enough." Bagheera.  
"Don't treat me like I'm still a cub still Bagheera. I'm a woman." Mari pointed out.  
"Just barely Mari. You still don't understand-"  
"No," Mari said with tears rolling down her cheeks, "You don't understand, Bagheera. I see who Kaa is turning into now and it's that side of him that I've fallen in love with. Maybe you don't see it yet, but I have. And I know Bagheera. I know."  
Mari turned onto her heels and took the berries with her, leaving Bagheera in shock, just now realizing that his girl-cub was no longer a cub, but becoming an independent woman.

Breakfast was bitter sweet, and everyone was walking. Mari distanced herself away from everyone, she felt her heart breaking as they got closer to the end of the road. They would find the shaman, Kaa would be back to being a snake, and everything Mari and he had would be gone. She was doing her best not to show it, but her sadness didn't go unnoticed by Baloo and Bagheera. Kaa noticed too, but he was too deep in his thoughts as he thought about the same thing. Things would end between him and Mari once they found the shaman. Bagheera watched as Mari stayed behind feeling her sadness coming in waves. Even Baloo felt it, from both his lil' britches and Kaa. There were times when the bear noticed Kaa looking at her than sighing in hopelessness. Bagheera kept his eyes on him and couldn't help but think differently from earlier,  
'Maybe Kaa has changed.' Bagheera thought to himself.

Mari, Kaa, Baloo and Bagheera were walking to the entrance of the swamp area. Each of them feeling a wave of nervousness as they entered.  
"This is it?" Mari asked.  
"Y-yes." Kaa confirmed, his stuttering a bit. It was much darker than he remembered the last time. As if something sinister was afoot.  
"Everybody stay close. It'll be easy to get lost here." Bagheera said.  
Mari kept her eyes and ear open as she went forward followed by Kaa, Bagheera and Baloo. Not realizing that they were being watched by familiar eyes.

Shere Khan had been looking for suitable prey himself and he heard voices. He hid himself behind the thick brush of vines nearby and saw Mari, a man, and that bear and panther with her. He smiled deviously,  
"At last, it's been a while since the last time girl-cub. Although not much of a cub anymore. But it won't matter," The tiger said as he slinked behind the brush following them with hungry eyes, "I will have my revenge on you yet."  
And so Shere Khan followed them.

Mari felt her nerves on end as they looked for the shaman. She could feel waves of magic around her and it seemed to be everywhere. However she could also fear something, the sense of impending doom. Her ear caught the sound of something moving through the brush,  
"Hold it." She said, causing everyone to look at questioningly.  
"What is it? Bagheera asked, noticing Mari's tense movements.  
"Something else is here, and it's following us." She said, her head looking everywhere like a bird.  
"How can you tell?" Kaa said, feeling something too but not as much as she could.  
"The forest is quiet. Too quiet. There's a predator nearby, and it's hunting us."  
"Mari," Bagheera turned and faced her, "you're being paranoid, there is nobody else but-"  
A roar broke their silence and Shere Khan lunged out of his hiding place teeth bared. As the tiger landed Mari tripped over a root and fell backwards down a hill near her. Rolling down, she felt herself thump hard against a mess of vines. Shere Khan laughed cruelly and jumped after the young woman. Mari felt her head pounding and grew scared as she heard the sounds of the tiger coming closer to her.  
"You seem surprised to see me, girl-cub," He chuckled as Mari tried to get up and look for a weapon, but there was nothing she could use in sight.  
"I can't imagine why. I wasn't going to let you get away with what you did to me." The tiger circled her,  
"You humiliated me Mari," Shere Khan purred her name, "surely you do realize I simply can't let you live."  
Shere khan said with a psychotic grin, like he was sharing with himself a private joke.  
Mari held her stance, doing her best to not look afraid, but she was, she had nothing to defend herself and this tiger is fast enough to catch her if she tried to make a run for it. She was trapped.

From above the hill, Bagheera raced down and jumped onto Shere Khans back, shocking Mari and the tiger himself.  
"Go Mari." Bagheera said as he tried to fight the tiger himself.  
Mari didn't argue as she ran away from the two cats fighting and up the hill. Baloo and Kaa were waiting for her. Baloo pushed Mari towards Kaa.  
"I'm going to help Baggie, Kaa, get her out of here." The bear said as he started running down the hill after Shere Khan.  
Baloo!" Mari shouted, Kaa tugged on her hand.  
"Come on, Baloo can handle himself."  
Mari was tugged away and a roar made both Kaa and her freeze. Looking at each other, they ran away from the hill. Mari stopped when she heard a loud roar and it was close by.  
"Run." She said. Kaa didn't need to be told twice as he started doing what she said with Mari right behind him.  
"Over there." She pointed to the tree in front of them. Kaa and Mari ran for it, all the while Shere Khan was catching up to them. Kaa had managed to grab the first branch and pull himself up. Mari jumped up and grabbed the branch but before she could swing herself up Shere Khan jumped and flung his paw at her leg, knocking off away from the tree.  
"Ahh." Mari went to the ground, feeling blood trickle down her leg. Kaa watched in horror as the tiger circled her.  
"No more games girl-cub." He crouched down, ready to lunge.  
'No. No, I'm not losing her!' Kaa grabbed the branch high above his head and broke it down. He then jumped up from his haven in the tree and got right between Mari and Shere Khan.  
"Back away Shere Khan." Kaa said.  
"Kaa?" It was than the tiger recognized his old ally's voice.  
"Yes. Now leave her alone." He said, pointing the edge of the broken branch to Shere Khan's face.  
"So, the coward is here to try and keep away what is rightfully mine? You lied to me snake when I was looking for her last."  
"Yes, I did." Kaa admitted.  
"Kaa, you and I can both take her out now. If you do this than I'll let you live." The tiger tried to reason. But all it was doing was making Kaa angry. This tiger had the gall to try and get him to go back to what he was before? Not a chance in hell.  
"I'd rather die where I am than let you near her." Kaa said protectively. His tone shocking Shere Khan.  
"You'd die for her? This…human?" The tiger said the last word in disgust, having a hard time hearing this from Kaa.  
"Yes." The man glared down at the tiger.  
Shere Khan narrowed his eyes at him, "So be it."  
Kaa raised the stick and Shere Khan growled, lunging forward.

Kaa knocked the Shere Khan in the face, nearly losing the stick to the mouth of the tiger as he clamped his jaws on it for a brief moment. Kaa let out a snarl as he kept his eyes on the tiger. Shere khan went at him, but Kaa held his ground, swinging the branch as hard as he could. Mari could only watch as Kaa was actually defending her. Did he really care for her in that sense? Bagheera and Baloo had come running and stopped as they saw Kaa was actually holding off Shere Khan, putting himself between Mari and him. Mari started tried to move away, but Shere Khan managed to knock Kaa off his feet away from her. Shere Khan turned his eyes onto Mari. Kaa watched as a sadistic grin was on the cat's face and felt his heart stop. As Shere Khan went forward, Kaa abandoned his branch and ran to Mari. Mari watched as Shere Khan got ready to swipe her, but a pair of hands shoved her out of the way sending her into a bed of leaves. Mari got up and felt herself scream,  
"NO!"  
Kaa was lying down on the ground in front of her. A deep set of claws raked his chest, blood pouring out. Shere Khan was in shock at what happened but he shook it off and growled.  
"You dare to get between me and my quarry Kaa? You care about this human so much, you die along with her."  
Mari felt fire rise up and grabbed a rock next to her. She flung it right at the tiger's head, making him passed off. She got up and jumped onto Shere Khan's shoulders, jumped off him, and rolled over to the branch Kaa had. She whacked the tiger hard into the eye, making him roar in pain. Shere Khan now had a cut going across his right eye, blood trickling down his fur. Mari was about to step forward till she heard some voices yelling,  
"Charge!" And four vultures came down going after Shere Khan.  
"Go get to him lass, we'll do the rest here." Buzzy said.  
Mari nodded her head in thanks and ran over to Kaa.  
Baloo and Bagheera ran over and joined the vultures attacking Shere Khan. Bagheera rapped the tiger on the head, Dizzy started pulling Shere Khan's whiskers, another was biting and pulling his tail and then Baloo came in and body slammed into the cat. Sending him into a tree. Everyone glared at Shere Khan as he got up, knowing he was out numbered, the tiger glared at them and ran off.  
"Well, that's the last of him." Flaps said, making the vultures high five each other on a job well done.  
"Hold on fellas, looks like Khannie still got something in on us, look."  
Everyone looked over and saw Mari on her knees with Kaa, breathing heavily.


	8. Chapter 8

Everyone gathered around Mari and Kaa as the young woman tried to stop Kaa's bleeding, but the wound was too deep. Kaa was dying and he knew it.  
"You saved me?" Mari said.  
Kaa looked at her and gave her a pained smile,  
"I had to. I couldn't let him hurt you." He then started coughing, pain flaring up. "I'm sorry Mari. I never meant for this to happen."  
"Don't. Oh this is all my fault. He was after me not you."  
Kaa shakily put his hand up and placed it on her cheek. He gently wiped away the tears that started rolling down,  
"Maybe, it's just better this way." He finished coughing.  
"No, don't say that. Kaa, it'll be alright. Everything's going to be fine." Mari said, trying to not panic.  
"Mari…I-" He tried to say, blood building up in his throat as he looked at her in the eyes, "I love you."  
With his last breath Kaa's eyes rolled into the back of his head, his hand limply falling from where it rested on Mari's cheek.  
"No! No, no, no Kaa, you can't do this," Mari started to cry as she tried to hold onto him, "No! You can't go….I love you too. Please…please, you can't." She choked out as Kaa didn't respond.  
Baloo, Bagheera and the vultures bowed their heads. Kaa had changed, and died saving Mari.

Everyone felt a rustle of wind come into the area and there stood the shaman who turned Kaa into a human few days ago. Mari looked at the woman,  
"Please. Please do something." She begged.  
"There is nothing that needs to be done child. Look."  
She pointed to his bleeding chest where several of Mari's tears fell on the wounds. Mari looked down and saw the tears glowing a rustic gold. Mari gasped as the color spread around the wounds on Kaa's chest, healing them. As soon as the glowing stopped all there was three faded claw marks. Kaa started coughing. He was alive! Mari's mouth hung open wide as she saw him waking up. Once he opened his eyes and turned to her, he called her name,  
"Mari?"  
His answer was her throwing herself onto him and hugging him tight. Kaa was shocked by the sudden action but smiled and hugged her back. They pulled back, happy tears now in her eyes.  
"I thought you died."  
"I thought I did too. How am I alive?" Kaa asked as he saw where Shere Khan hit him.  
"Love." The shaman said, startling Kaa and Mari, reminded that she was still here, "The love that grew between you and this young woman here is what saved you."  
Both humans smiled at each at the thought.  
"Now, Kaa" The shaman said as she came up to him, "Because you saved her life, I will turn you back into what you once were, however the choice is up to you. Do you wish to return as a python?"  
Kaa frowned as he thought about it. His eyes looked to Mari who gave him an understanding smile, saying if he did want to go back to what it was it was fine. Kaa gave her a reassuring smile and turned back to the shaman.  
"At first, I would've said yes immediately to being turned back, however, I found something better along the way," Kaa said as he looked at Mari, "And because of that, I have to decline your offer. I would like to stay as I am."  
"You wish to remain human forever?" The shaman asked, biting back a smile,  
"Yes. I would." Kaa said truthfully.  
Mari smiled big and the shaman smiled,  
"As you wish."  
Kaa turned to Mari and took her hands. "I love you."  
She smiled back and said, "I love you too."  
Mari and Kaa looked at each other longer before both leaned forward and their lips touched in a gentle kiss. The wind picked up and rushed around them. At that moment, leaves and the same rustic gold color that healed Kaa before glowed and grew around them, blinding everyone. As the wind died, the shaman smiled as well as Baloo, Bagheera, and the vultures at happened next: Mari and Kaa were still lip-locked, now dressed in traditional Indian wedding garments. Mari was wearing a beautiful red dress with a pink shawl going across her chest with her hair covered by a thin translucent red veil, strands of hair lined with gold and red beads. Kaa was wearing white pants with black vest over a white shirt with silver designs on the edges and his hair wrapped in a white turban. Both Kaa and Mari smiled lovingly and pulled away from each other before gasping and seeing what they were wearing. Mari examined her dress and Kaa his shirt and pants.  
"True love. The most powerful kind of magic there is." The shaman said.  
"And something that I will never be able to let go." Kaa said as he wrapped his arms around Mari.  
Mari smiled as she put her arms around him, and said, "Good. Because you're stuck with me now for good."  
Kaa smiled, "I wouldn't have it any other way."  
Mari smiled and kissed Kaa again. He took her in his arms and the two enjoyed the moment. They had each other, and that was all that mattered.

-

"GET IT OUT!" Mari cried as the pain coursed through her.  
"You're almost done Ms. Another push please." The nurse said.  
Mari complied and kept pushing despite the pain. She was pregnant with her first child and she had spent the last eight hours at the village's doctor in painful labor.

It had been almost a year since Kaa and she became husband and wife. Mari still smiled at that. After they went back to the village, word spread like wildfire of them getting married. They had gotten married at Council Rock so her wolf pack could be there along with Baloo, Bagheera, and her jungle friends, as well as the few friends Mari had at the village. After everyone heard the story of Mari helping Kaa and what led to it, the snake turned human had been given a second chance. Now, Kaa was a respectable man in the village, working in the fields and also working with the fabrics and textiles. He was quick with a thread and needle once he learned the tools of the trade and found himself liking it. Mari and Kaa had some problems with Buldaeo which led to him almost hurting Mari one time, but Kaa had been there to defend her and threatened Buldaeo he would retaliate if the hunter tried anything. That made Baloo and Bagheera slowly trust him again and soon the three had become friends again, visiting each other when they could.

"Ms., the baby is almost here, you need to push hard now." The nurse said.  
"I can't. It hurts." She cried.  
"I know, but the shoulders are done, just one or two should do it."  
Mari pushed as hard as she could and the lingering cries of an infant came. She pushed again and just as she flopped back onto the bed, she heard the cry of her baby.  
"Oh she's beautiful. She has light brown hair like your husband." The nurse said.  
Mari puffed and with renewed strength and happiness she propped herself up. The nurse finished cleaning her up and handed the tired mother her baby. Mari smiled with happy tears, her daughter did have Kaa's hair and her brown eyes, she was a perfect combination of the both of them.  
"Can he come in now?" Mari asked.  
"I'll go let them know." The nurse said.  
Mari smiled at her daughter who looked at her with curious eyes. She heard Kaa walk in and smiled as she saw him.  
"Wanna meet our daughter." She said.  
Kaa walked over with Baloo and Bagheera behind him. When Kaa saw the baby his eyes went up with joy. The little girl saw all the new faces around her and was curious. Bagheera chuckled,  
"She has your eyes Mari."  
"She does, but she has her father's hair." Running a hand through the small light brown tuft.  
Kaa smiled warmly as the little girl's eyes went towards him, as if knowing who she is, she started squirming.  
"I think she wants her daddy." Mari said, handing the baby to Kaa.  
Kaa nervously took her daughter into his arms and she relaxed immediately knowing she was in her father's arms.  
"Do you have a name for her?" Bagheera asked.  
"We decided if we were going to have a girl, her name would be Raksha."  
"After your sister at the wolf pack?" Baloo asked.  
"We both like the name and I'd say it fits the little one here." Kaa said as he cradled the baby.  
"Raksha. A good name." Baloo said as he looked at the baby.  
"Thanks guys." Mari said as she looked at her husband holding their daughter.  
Kaa gave Raksha back to Mari as she started to fuss. Mari pulled the hospital gown she had and started to feed her daughter who began to suckle eagerly.  
"She's got your appetite." Kaa teased a bit, dodging a playful punch to the arm.  
"Oh really?" Mari smirked.  
Kaa smirked back and sat down next to Mari's bed. Gazing down at his daughter. Bagheera and Baloo both looked at each other and left the room, giving the family some space. Kaa looked at Mari,  
"Are you happy?"  
Mari gave him a tired smile, "Very. Ever thought it would turn out this way?"  
Kaa chuckled a bit, "No. But…I couldn't picture it any other way."  
Mari smiled lovingly. "Neither can I."  
Both Kaa and Mari kissed. They had everything they could possibly imagine and more and neither of them could ever regret of what happened that made it this way. Life was perfect.


End file.
